DIY Network

Installing Carpet Flooring Tiles The final touches make the Green Room - green! From "DIY to the Rescue" episode DTTR-707

With the renovations to the Tampa Theatre green room almost complete, Amy Devers and theatre volunteer Randi Widdon make the green room truly green. Amy and Randi replace the smelly old carpet, even older linoleum, and damaged original terrazzo floor with new, easy to install, eco-friendly carpet tiles. Their retro pattern adds to the opulent grandeur of the room. And, these tiles can be removed if later on the theatre wants to go back and restore the original terrazzo floor.

Removing the old smelly carpet and linoleum reveals a damaged terrazzo floor!

After a dramatic floor befitting the Theatre's style.

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Materials:

carpet tile
measuring tape
pencil
utility knife
framing square

Figure A

1. Be sure to look on the underside of the carpet tile to find the arrow (Figure A). The arrow indicates the direction of the pile. You want to make sure that each tile is run in the same direction.

2. Slide the first floor tile up underneath the baseboards in the corner of the space.

Figure B

3. Apply double-sided carpet tape to the corners of the carpet square, or simply pull the tabs away from squares that already come with adhesive strips (Figure B).Or, if your carpet tiles are like ours and don't have the adhesive strips, you will need to apply an adhesive to the floor with a trowel before laying the tiles. Make sure that the adhesive is spread evenly on the floor, because any uneven areas will transfer through the tiles and will feel and look bumpy. Check with your carpet tile's manufacturer and installation instructions to see which type of adhesive works best.

4. With the first tile in place, lay the next one, making sure the edges are aligned (Figure C & D) and the pile on each is running in the same direction.

Figure C

Figure D

5. When it comes time to cut a tile, take your dimensions, mark them on the back of the tile to be cut, and use a utility knife to cut.

6. Use a framing square as a cutting guide to ensure a straight edge when cutting the tile.

7. Turn the cut edge to the outside. Two factory edges will give a cleaner seam.

TIP: When laying carpet tiles in a large area, or an area with out of square walls, dry fit the tiles first, and then come back to secure them after they are all lined up.

RESOURCES :

For more information about The Tampa Theatre and it's restoration, visit www.tampatheatre.org .